US carriers enabling RCS for iPhone users running iOS 18 beta 2

As we reported yesterday, Apple has been getting ready to roll out RCS support on the iPhone with iOS 18. However, doing so also requires mobile carriers to work on an update on their part – something that some US carriers have already done. Now it seems that these carriers have flipped the switch and are now enabling RCS for users running the latest iOS 18 beta.

iOS 18 beta 2 enables RCS on iPhone for some users

As noted by users on X and also by the 9to5Mac staff, it’s now possible to send and receive RCS on the iPhone after enabling the new toggle added with iOS 18 beta 2.

With RCS, iPhone users can send rich messages with audio and larger media files to Android users. RCS also has read receipts, something that was previously exclusive to iMessage and other instant messaging apps. Although RCS messages still have green bubbles, the Messages app will show the label “Text Message – RCS” in the conversation.

However, as we mentioned in our previous report, not everyone will be able to use RCS for now. That’s because iOS 18 beta 2 only includes updated carrier bundles for a few US carriers, such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

If you’ve already updated your iPhone to the latest iOS 18 beta and use one of these carriers, you can try enabling RCS by going to Settings > Apps > Messages.

If the RCS toggle isn’t showing up for you, it’s probably because your carrier doesn’t yet provide RCS support on the iPhone. As iOS 18 will be released to the public this fall, carriers still have a few months to work on such an update.

iOS 18 is currently available as a beta preview, while a public beta will be released next month.

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